Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Common Misconceptions

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At Pearl Recovery Retreat, we provide all kinds of different options for post surgery recovery care. Our postoperative care includes private recovery rooms and private duty nursing to help you heal from your surgery in comfort and ease. The personal and relaxed atmosphere we create at Pearl Recovery Retreat is essential to your restoration after your procedure. One of the recovery methods we offer is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

What is it?

You might have heard of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but not many people know what it means. HBOT is a revolutionary form of therapy that makes use of the body’s natural need for oxygen – by delivering oxygen directly to your blood cells.

This is done in a safe and comfortable hyperbaric chamber that lets you breathe 100% pure oxygen, to help your body get what it needs to restore itself. How you make the most of this session is up to you – you can read, listen to music, meditate or just relax. Many of our past patients swear by the relaxing and restorative properties of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Unfortunately, as with many new or innovative methods of recovery, there are a number of misconceptions and myths that exist about hyperbaric oxygen therapy. If you’ve heard of HBOT, you’ve likely heard these myths along with what you’ve seen, so Pearl Recovery Retreat is here to dispel the biggest ones for you.

It’s Just A Celebrity Fad

One of the most famous and enduring images associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the minds of many people is of Michael Jackson inside a hyperbaric chamber in the mid-1980s. Jackson’s use of HBOT, a largely unknown therapy to the public at the time, only added to his enigmatic image that would become pretty divisive in later years.

The typical tabloid negativity that came with the pictures was only fed by more and more rumors about the use of HBOT therapy throughout Hollywood, often painted as a strange, bizarre and fly-by-night celebrity fad.

The truth is that the use of HBOT dates back much further, and the King of Pop was one of many who had experienced the benefits of oxygen therapy. Keanu Reeves, Tony Robbins and even a selection of NFL players have all espoused the effectiveness of HBOT, even decades later. While fads come and go, especially among celebrities, the use of hyperbaric chambers is still common today.

It’s A Miracle Cure!

Another myth that you might find about hyperbaric oxygen therapy that’s a little more complicated to address – that it’s a miracle cure-all for any condition. Much like the negativity that gets thrown at new, unknown or unconventional treatments, you’ll often see the opposite happen.

A new, possibly misunderstood form of therapy will capture the imagination of those looking for an alternative to more typical forms of recovery that they’ve found lacking, and suddenly become a miracle cure for all kinds of ailments.

Doing a quick web search for HBOT articles will certainly lead you to a few examples of this, and show you how quickly enthusiasm for something that overtakes the facts. While Pearl Recovery Retreat is well aware of the benefits of HBOT, we also know that it won’t gift you with immortality.

It Simply Doesn’t Work

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ll find another common myth about hyperbaric therapy: it doesn’t work at all. Once again, this is another frequent issue that you see arise with any new, unusual treatment method for all kinds of ailments. The public and professionals alike, accustomed to what they know or believe to work, will always be quick to write off anything that isn’t seen as fitting the norm.

The truth is that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is far from “new” – it’s been a reliable source of health and rejuvenation for centuries! We even see it commonly used in medical treatments for decompression sickness, skin grafting, treating certain types of arterial embolisms, and more. Even chronic and emergency care – from side effects of diabetes to stomach ulcers – benefits from the use of HBOT chambers.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Pearl Recovery

As with any form of intervention or treatment, whatever it’s for, you should trust the professionals. At Pearl Recovery Retreat and Wellness, we are the professionals when it comes to comfortably and effectively recovering from your cosmetic procedure. Contact us today to find out more.